If you were to build it all over again ...

[Ron Dickey]

My next build, if there ever is one, is probably taking shape somewhere in Elkhart Indiana.

why there?? and how will it change??

 

[Ron Dickey]

Whelp ... after building 9 or so ... I've got a book of things I'd like to (and have) done over!

Here's one not often talked about. I'd pick the best darn tapes I could get my hands on. That's right, tape. I swear by premium tapes now. Use the right tape - VHB, EternaBond, 3M All-Weather, CornerSeal, Tite-Seal Steel-Loc, 3M Scotch Super 33+ - and the build becomes SO MUCH BETTER.

Cheap tapes - and adhesives in general - just waste your time.

I'd also have bought every single Kreg jig I could get my hands on

Where do you use that tape?

 

[Andrew Herrick]

Whelp ... after building 9 or so ... I've got a book of things I'd like to (and have) done over!

Here's one not often talked about. I'd pick the best darn tapes I could get my hands on. That's right, tape. I swear by premium tapes now. Use the right tape - VHB, EternaBond, 3M All-Weather, CornerSeal, Tite-Seal Steel-Loc, 3M Scotch Super 33+ - and the build becomes SO MUCH BETTER.

Cheap tapes - and adhesives in general - just waste your time.

I'd also have bought every single Kreg jig I could get my hands on

Where do you use that tape?

- VHB: Just getting started with it. So far, it's the best stuff I've found to attach aluminum siding to plywood without oil canning.
- EternaBond: Seals the bottom edge of all aluminum siding and the backside of riveted lap joints.
- 3M All-Weather: Flashing for window or door rough openings. Most conformable.
- CornerSeal: At the wall-roof edge joints.
- Tite-Seal Steel-Loc: Same as 3M All-Weather. Not as conformable, but sticks better to polystyrene.
- 3M Scotch Super 33+: Electrical tape. Strong adhesive; no residue.

And that's just the start of the list!

 

[compassRose-TNT]

I'm going to start over.

About 10 years ago I started to build a 5 x 10 Grumman II inspired teardrop on a custom built trailer frame. Construction progressed to attaching the side walls and galley bulkhead. Ooops. My home made doors warped probably because I used wood framing with too high a moisture content that I leaned against my workbench for1 to 2 months. Life intervened and my plans stalled, changed, and considerably evolved

I'm going to start over using just the trailer frame, Dexter torsion axle and the 14" wheels I began with. Plus other parts like LED lights, wiring, a PD 4045, plywood and much more that I purchased over the years. I'll tear down the existing walls, bulkhead and floor. The warped doors will be junked too.

For the do-over I'll build a 64" wide by 121" long Benroy(ish) inspired teardrop. It'll have more spacious and functional interior cabin and galley areas. The strongest motivation to build a Benroy, instead of a Grumman II, is to have plenty of flat roof area for a permanently roof mounted 160 watt solar panel so its comfortable to boondock for a week or so at a time. I'm 6'4" tall so the two door cabin area will have enough room for a 60" x 80" queen sized bed. The galley will have room for a Camp Chef Oven on a slide out drawer and a chest style ac/dc fridge freezer on another slide out drawer. An AGM battery stored inside the teardrop will be able to be re-charged by shore power, solar power and/or the tow vehicle's 7-way wire connections.

My Subaru Forester has a 1500 pound towing capacity for a trailer with brakes. I'm using a Dexter #9 torsion axle with brakes. The goal is to build a teardrop that weighs 1200 lbs. or less unloaded. To help keep the weight down it will be skinned on the outside with fiberglassed 1/8" plywood, not aluminum sheets. I'll need to be very weight conscious as its built in order to have enough available towing capacity to load the teardrop with cooking and camping gear, food, water, (adult beverages), bedding, clothing, etc.

I'll start a (re)build thread soon.

This is what I'm trying to design now. I have a Camp Chef oven/stove combo and want to get an Orion 35 cooler and do slides for both with a center sink in the galley. My husband is 6'3" so a standard queen bed is a must. Send me a PM if you start a build thread so that I can follow. We have a KIA Sportage that has a 2000 lb tow capacity. So, I want to keep the TD to 1000-1200 lbs max.

 

[pchast]

I'd use less wood and lighter foam for th e cabinets in th e rear.

 

[Dove76]

I didn't build ours. It was built by someone else. What I would do differently if I had built it is put the door to the rear and move the bed towards the neck. Its a pain to pull the bed frome towards the neck and rolling the futon towards the neck. If these 2 things were switched, It would make towing and stability much easier.